


Window Shopper

by gingerlegend



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Chowder is as wholesome as ever tho, Fluff and Humor, M/M, actually that one's just canon isnt it?, also stressed out!Dex, fake clueless!tango, tsundere!Dex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 04:47:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20576708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerlegend/pseuds/gingerlegend
Summary: Chowder wants to shop with a friend, but all of the friends he usually spends time with are busy. Tango's bored out of his mind and he's fond of Chowder (because who isn't?).This fic focuses on a theory about Tango I saw and instantly loved. Basically Tango is probably nowhere NEAR as clueless as he acts.I'm not 100% sure if I portrayed the characters well, but I'm decently proud of this fic anyway.Enjoy!





	1. Shopping Buddies

“Aw come on, Dex! You’ve been studying all morning! You have to take a break sometimes!”  
If anyone overheard the conversation, they'd probably assume it was just another example of Chowder being wholesome and pure, but Chowder had a more selfish motive today. He had some shopping to do, and he hated shopping alone. It wasn't stressful or anything; it was just so boring if he didn't have any friends with him.  
“Chowder, I am literally going to fail if I don’t finish this essay before class tomorrow.” Dex said, sounding incredibly stressed out. “Go ask Nursey or Bitty.”  
Dex clearly needed to at least take a walk and get some fresh air, but he was too stubborn to actually relax when someone else suggested it.  
“Nursey’s already busy though,” Chowder whined. “He wouldn’t even tell me what he was doing! And Bitty just started baking a pie."  
“What about Farmer?” Dex asked.  
“She didn’t sleep last night,” Chowder said, pouting. “She and I watched a movie and it was really sad and she stayed up thinking about it. She needs to rest.”  
“I am too busy for this, okay?”  
Dex was getting more annoyed by the second. It wasn’t exactly anything new as far as Chowder was concerned, but it still made him feel bad. He knew not to apologize to Dex until later, but he always wanted to anyway. Maybe he could leave an apology post-it note for Dex to find later.

"Hey, is Bitty almost done baking?" Chowder asked Tango, who was just leaving the kitchen.  
"I'm sure he could take a break if you need him."  
Chowder wasn't so sure. He could smell the pie baking and Bitty never ever left a pie unattended.  
Chowder was about to give up on shopping today. He didn't want to bother anyone.  
"You okay, Chowder?"  
Tango's expression was always hard to read. Chowder sometimes got the feeling he was putting on an act of some sort, but he was never sure. Chowder liked him, but could never tell what he was thinking.  
"I wanted to go shopping but everyone I've asked has been too busy."  
"Wow, that's frustrating. It's a shame you haven't asked me yet, I guess. I don't have anything to do today."  
Tango didn't look bored or anything, but…  
"Ooh! If you don't have plans, do you wanna go shopping with me?" Chowder asked. "We could be shopping buddies!!!"  
"Whoa, really?" Tango exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Thanks, Chowder! That sounds like fun! Let me know when you want to go!"  
"Is now okay?"  
"Sure."  
"Swawesome, dude."


	2. Window Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Tango's perspective, whereas Chapter 1 was from Chowder's POV. (third person tho)  
Tango likes Chowder partly because Chowder is genuinely the type of person Tango always acts like. Also Chowder is the one person who manages to catch him off-guard without meaning to.

Tango had been bored out of his mind, so when he overheard Chowder begging Dex to go shopping with him, he was actually kind of excited. Chowder seemed pretty cool, and it was refreshing to meet people as genuine as him.  
Sure, he was a bit slow to catch on to things, but he put so much enthusiasm into everything he did.  
Tango and Chowder just arrived at the mall, and Chowder seemed distracted now that they were here.  
"So what are you shopping for, Chowder?"  
Chowder stopped walking, the realization apparent on his face. "Oh man!!! I meant to write it down, but I forgot!"  
He looked pretty frustrated at himself. Chowder usually had a smile on his face, but right now he was frowning almost as much as he did on the ice.  
"Hey, why don't we window shop for a bit. Oh, but not just windows. Do people window shop for windows?"  
"Maybe? Window makers exist probably."  
"That makes sense, I guess. Would window makers really only make window?"  
"Probably? Why else would we call them window makers?" Chowder got out his phone. "Should I look it up?"  
Tango wasn't always sure whether Chowder could tell he was joking. Actually, he was pretty sure Chowder took everything at face value. It was honestly pretty interesting. Tango took a lot of inspiration from Chowder.  
"It's not important right now,"he said. "Let's just go into random shops and look around. It might help jog your memory."  
"Okay!!!"

They browsed shop after shop, but it wasn't until they'd been at the mall for almost an hour that Chowder seemed to remember.  
"Ooh! I was gonna go to that shop!" he exclaimed suddenly, pointing to a coffee shop.  
"Wait, did you actually need to buy something or did you just want to get coffee?"  
"Not coffee. That stuff's bad for you, I think. I wanted hot chocolate!"  
Tango was almost impressed with Chowder's illogic, but he had to ask. "Why the mall?"  
Chowder shrugged. "I don't like shopping alone, even at restaurants and stuff. But it's kind of underwhelming to go to a close-by coffee place with friends. The mall is a much better place to hang out. Don't you agree?"  
Tango was way too confused to agree or disagree, so he just nodded.


	3. Excited Rambling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dex's perspective this time.

Dex finally finished writing his essay. It was his fourth or fifth draft, but he wasn't content with it until now.  
_I wonder who ended up going to the mall with Chowder,_ he wondered.  
He didn't have to wonder for long. He could hear Chowder through the window, chattering excitedly.  
"I'm so glad I went to get hot chocolate with you, Tango!"  
_Since when did Chowder start hanging out with Tango?_  
Not that Dex had any reason to care. He didn't even like going shopping with Chowder. Even Nursey didn't. Chowder was too easily distracted for Dex to enjoy shopping with him. He wasn’t jealous or anything.  
"You could have mentioned that you wanted to buy hot chocolate earlier?" Tango said. "I could have tried to remember for you???"  
Tango's tone bothered Dex for some reason. He sounded confused right now, but Tango spoke so differently than any other time he'd sounded confused. More genuine, somehow…  
But Tango couldn't be _that_ good at bullshitting his actual personality for so long, could he?

Chowder burst into the room. "Ooh! You're still here! I can say sorry now, right, Dex?"  
Dex smiled, although he didn't turn to look at Chowder yet. "Sure."  
"I'm super duper sorry I bothered you so much this morning!" Chowder said.  
"It's fine," Dex said.  
Dex looked up from his laptop at last. Chowder's pockets were weirdly full. That couldn't be comfortable.  
"What's with your pockets?"  
Chowder took a bag from his right pocket. Was that instant coffee?  
"I got you some coffee mix! Since Bitty told me you finished the old one!"  
_Chowder is too good for pretty much anyone._  
"And in the other pocket?" Dex asked. Probably something for himself or for Bitty.  
"I got Nursey some mints. Oh wait, does he like mints? I think he told me he did, but I might have imagined it."  
_Yeah,_ Dex thought again. _He's definitely too good for anyone._  
"I'm sure he'd appreciate it, Chowder. Either that or he'd tell you to chill."  
Chowder sighed. He looked pretty happy.  
"Did you know that Tango likes window shopping? We had a good talk about window shopping for windows too, but he said he doesn't do that as much."  
Dex let Chowder's excited rambling wash over him. Chowder was such a good person (not that he'd ever say anything that sappy out loud).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly this chapter was partially included because I like Dex as a character, and also I ship polyfrogs rather than Nurseydex (polyam relationship between Nursey, Chowder, and Dex. And farmer maybe, idk). But also I wanted a slightly less oblivious 3rd party to overhear Tango's genuine confusion.  
Also I don't feel confident about writing anything from Bitty's perspective yet (or even Bitty's dialogue for that matter). Maybe some other time, idk. (That's why I specifically just had the smell of pie instead of having Bitty appear. I dont want to portray him badly)


End file.
